Protective covering for bottom hole assembly of drilling rig

ABSTRACT

A protective covering for use with a bottom hole assembly of a drilling rig to protect users from exposure to drilling fluid disposed within the assembly includes a sheet with a top face and a bottom face, a first set of fasteners affixed to the top face of the sheet along a longitudinal axis of the sheet and oriented substantially parallel to one another, and a second set of fasteners affixed to the bottom face of the sheet, the second set of fasteners being oriented substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to the first set of fasteners. The user may dispose the bottom face of the sheet on the bottom hole assembly and wrap the sheet around the assembly such that the first set of fasteners engage the second set of fasteners, thereby securing the protective covering to the bottom hole assembly.

RELATED APPLICATION

The application claims priority to provisional patent application U.S.Ser. No. 61/723,589 filed on Nov. 7, 2012, the entire contents of whichis herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The embodiments herein relate generally to oil and gas drilling rigs.More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to a protectivecovering for drill collars and the bottom hole assembly (“BHA”) of adrilling rig.

Workers face many dangers when working on drilling rigs. In particular,there exist many safety concerns when workers remove drill collarsand/or the bottom hole assembly from a drilling hole. As the drillcollars and bottom hole assembly are loosened and removed from the hole,pressure builds up within the components, which can cause drilling fluidand/or mud to burst and project onto the workers. Workers exposed to thedrilling fluid may experience serious bodily harm and/or death.

Current devices for capturing drilling fluid from a drilling rig includemud buckets. However, mud buckets are bulky steel devices that aresecured to drill pipes, and are not designed to fit drill collars or thebottom hole assembly. Instead, workers currently wrap scrap plasticaround the drill collars and bottle hole assembly. However, the scrapplastic is inefficient and impractical because several workers arerequired to hold the plastic so that it is secured to the collar orbottom hole assembly. Further, the scrap plastic is limited becauseincreases in pressure from within the collars and bottom hole assemblyoften cause the plastic to burst, which exposes the workers to thedrilling fluid.

As such, there is a need in the industry for a protective covering thatovercomes the limitations in the prior art. More specifically, there isa need for a protective covering that is designed for use with drillcollars and the bottom hole assembly, which protects users from beingexposed to drilling fluid.

SUMMARY

A protective covering for use with a bottom hole assembly of a drillingrig to protect users from exposure to drilling fluid disposed within thebottom hole assembly during removal of the assembly from a drilled holeis provided. The protective covering is configured to be secured to theassembly such that the covering conforms to contours of the bottom holeassembly. The protective covering comprises a sheet comprising a topface and a bottom face, a first set of fasteners affixed to the top faceof the sheet along a longitudinal axis of the sheet and orientedsubstantially parallel to one another, and a second set of fastenersaffixed to the bottom face of the sheet, the second set of fastenersbeing oriented substantially parallel to one another and perpendicularto the first set of fasteners, wherein a user may dispose the bottomface of the sheet on the bottom hole assembly and wrap the sheet aroundthe assembly such that the first set of fasteners engage the second setof fasteners, thereby securing the protective covering to the bottomhole assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The detailed description of some embodiments of the invention will bemade below with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein thefigures disclose one or more embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of certain embodiments of theprotective covering in use;

FIG. 2 depicts a sectional view of certain embodiments of the protectivecovering along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts a top perspective view of certain embodiments of theprotective covering;

FIG. 4 depicts a bottom perspective view of certain embodiments of theprotective covering;

FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of certain embodiments of theprotective covering in use; and

FIG. 6 depicts a perspective view of certain embodiments of theprotective covering in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

As depicted in FIGS. 1-4, protective covering 10 is shown in use withpipe 22. It shall be appreciated that pipe 22 may refer to any drillcollar or any portion of the bottom hole assembly of a drilling rig suchas a reamer, monel, pipe sections, or the like. Protective covering 10comprises tarp 12, horizontal fasteners 14, logo patch 16, logo patch18, vertical fasteners 20, pipe securement strap 24, upper tarpsecurement strap 26, lower tarp securement strap 28, slit 30 andextended engagement strap 32.

Tarp 12 is made from polyester and has dimensions of 48″×48″. It shallbe appreciated that tarp 12 may be made from any alternative waterproofmaterial such as canvas. As depicted in FIG. 3, a set of horizontalfasteners 14 are affixed to the top face of tarp 12 and are orientedsubstantially parallel to one another. Fasteners 14 comprise strips ofloops affixed to corresponding strips of webbing beneath. Fasteners 14have a width of 2 inches and a length that may vary. Pipe securementstrap 24 comprises a 36″×2″ strip of webbing having loops affixed to oneside and hooks affixed to the opposing side. Pipe securement strap 24 issewn to tarp 12 proximate to slit 30. In a preferred embodiment, 6inches of pipe securement strap 24 are sewn to tarp 12. Upper tarpsecurement strap 26 comprises a 28″×2″ strip of webbing having loopsaffixed to one side and hooks affixed to the opposing side. In apreferred embodiment, 8 inches of upper tarp securement strap 26 aresewn to tarp 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the portion of strap 26 affixed totarp 12 is connected to a strip of loops affixed to a layer of webbingsuch as fastener 14 to make a continuous strip that extends along thelength of tarp 12. Lower tarp securement strap 28 comprises a 34″×2″strip of webbing having loops affixed to one side and hooks affixed tothe opposing side. In a preferred embodiment, 8 inches of lower tarpsecurement strap 26 are sewn to tarp 12. Upper tarp securement strap 26and lower tarp securement strap 28 are separated by a distance of 15inches. Extended engagement strap 32 comprises a top layer of loopsaffixed to a 2″ wide strip of webbing beneath. Extended engagement strap32 is sewn to tarp 12.

In certain embodiments, first logo patch 16 and second logo patch 18 areaffixed to the top face of tarp 12 by using any adhesive known in thefield such as stitching or glue. First logo patch 16 and second logopatch 18 may comprise any combination of letters, words, symbols,designs, or the like.

As depicted in FIG. 4, a set of vertical fasteners 20 are affixed to thebottom face of tarp 12 and oriented substantially parallel to oneanother. In this configuration, vertical fasteners 20 are orientedsubstantially perpendicular to the set of horizontal fasteners 14affixed to the opposing top face of tarp 12. Vertical fasteners 20comprise 2 inch wide strips of hooks affixed to corresponding strips ofwebbing beneath. Vertical fasteners 20 are configured to engage withhorizontal fasteners 14 when protective covering 10 is wrapped aroundpipe 22.

In operation, a user(s) orients protective covering 10 such that thebottom face of tarp 12 is in contact with pipe 22. As depicted in FIG.5, the user wraps pipe securement strap 24 around pipe 22 and insertsstrap 24 through slit 30 on tarp 12. As depicted in FIG. 6, the userpulls pipe securement strap 24 until it is taut and wraps strap 24 ontoitself such that the loops and hooks of strap 24 engage with oneanother. The user continues to wrap protective covering 10 tightlyaround pipe 22. During this process, the loops of horizontal fasteners14 engage with the hooks of vertical fasteners 20. The user wraps uppertarp securement strap 26 tightly around tarp 12 until the loops andhooks of strap 26 engage with each other as shown in FIG. 1. The userwraps lower tarp securement strap 28 tightly around tarp 12 until thehooks of strap 28 engage with the loops of strap 28 and/or the loops ofextended engagement strap 32 as shown in FIG. 1. In this configuration,protective covering 10 is tightly secured to pipe 22. The strength ofprotective covering 10 withstands the pressure within drill collarsand/or the bottom hole assembly, and protects the user from beingexposed to drilling fluid.

While the fasteners described in embodiments of the invention refer toloop and hook fasteners (Velcro), it shall be appreciated that any otherfasteners known in the field may be used including, but not limited to,snaps, buttons, screws, or the like.

It shall be appreciated that the components of the protective coveringdescribed in several embodiments herein may comprise any alternativeknown materials in the field and be of any color, size and/ordimensions. This allows the protective covering to accommodate anyvariety of drill collars or portions of the bottom hole assembly. Itshall be appreciated that the components of the protective coveringdescribed herein may be manufactured and assembled using any knowntechniques in the field.

Persons of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that numerous designconfigurations may be possible to enjoy the functional benefits of theinventive systems. Thus, given the wide variety of configurations andarrangements of embodiments of the present invention the scope of theinvention is reflected by the breadth of the claims below rather thannarrowed by the embodiments described above.

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective covering for use with a bottom holeassembly of a drilling rig to protect users from exposure to drillingfluid disposed within the bottom hole assembly during removal of theassembly from a drilled hole, the protective covering being configuredto be secured to the assembly such that the covering conforms tocontours of the bottom hole assembly, the protective coveringcomprising: a sheet comprising a top face and a bottom face; a first setof fasteners affixed to the top face of the sheet along a longitudinalaxis of the sheet and oriented substantially parallel to one another;and a second set of fasteners affixed to the bottom face of the sheet,the second set of fasteners being oriented substantially parallel to oneanother and perpendicular to the first set of fasteners; wherein a usermay dispose the bottom face of the sheet on the bottom hole assembly andwrap the sheet around the assembly such that the first set of fastenersengage the second set of fasteners, thereby securing the protectivecovering to the bottom hole assembly.
 2. The protective covering ofclaim 1 further comprising a pipe securement strap affixed to the topface of the sheet proximate a slit disposed on the sheet, wherein thepipe securement strap is substantially parallel to the first set offasteners and extends beyond a first edge of the sheet perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis of the sheet.
 3. The protective covering of claim2, further comprising an upper sheet securement strap affixed to the topface of the sheet and oriented substantially parallel to the first setof fasteners, wherein the upper sheet securement strap extends beyond asecond edge of the sheet opposite the first edge of the sheet.
 4. Theprotective covering of claim 3, further comprising a lower sheetsecurement strap affixed to the top face of the sheet and orientedsubstantially parallel to the first set of fasteners, wherein the lowersheet securement strap extends beyond the second edge of the sheet. 5.The protective covering of claim 4, wherein the first set of fastenerscomprise loops and the second set of fasteners comprise hooks.
 6. Theprotective covering of claim 5, wherein the pipe securement strap, theupper sheet securement strap and the lower sheet securement strapcomprise loop and hook fasteners.
 7. The protective covering of claim 6further comprising a first logo patch affixed to the top face of thesheet.
 8. The protective covering of claim 7 further comprising a secondlogo patch affixed to the top face of the sheet.
 9. The protectivecovering of claim 8, wherein the sheet is polyester.
 10. The protectivecovering of claim 9, wherein the first set of fasteners and the secondset of fasteners further comprise a webbing strip affixed to the firstset of fasteners and the second set of fasteners.